Process of producing printing-surfaces.



Ito/758,625.

UNITED STATES g Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

PROCESS OF PRQDUCING PRINTING-SURFACES- SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,625, dated. May 3, 1904.

Application filed April 25, 1903. Serial No. 154,300- (No specimens.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, OZIAS DODGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Norwich, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Printing-Surfaces, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a printingsurfacesuch, for instance, as copper plate-without the necessity for resorting to the engraving or acid process or the process of stereotyping.

' I have discovered that if a drawing or design be reproduced or placed on the surface of a plate, such as a copper plate, with an ink or other material not easily soluble in water and not affected by acids and the plate be placed in an electrolytic bath of proper char-' acter the metal in solution in the bath will be deposited on the surface of the plate except where the lines of a drawing or figure have been placed. The result is that upon cleaning the plate after taking it from the bath the drawing or other View will be found alike in all respects to a plate etched by any of the knownprocesses-that is to say, an intagl-ioplate is produced from which prints may be taken, as in ordinary plate-printing.

One way of practicing my process is as follows: The artist draws with a lithographicor other suitable pencil upon prepared paper of the common kind the sketch or figure to be reproduced. From this paper the drawing is transferred to the surface of a suitable plate in the same manner as on the lithographingstone. The plate is then placed in anvelectrolytic bath of the proper character (in the case of a copper plate a copper solution is used) and submitted to electrolytic action. Copper of the solution is deposited upon the plate and the plate built up around the lines Upon removing of the drawing or figure.

the plate and cleaning it it will be found that a perfect printing-surface is produced with the design or figure in intaglio.

The advantages of this invention are many. Among them may be mentioned the fact that the drawing as made by the artist is absolutely reproduced line for line precisely as he made it, avoiding the necessity for copying. Any texture, as it is called, may be produced, as the print from the plate will be the same as the texture of the paper on which the original sketch was made. No artistic skill is required in making the plate proper, and therefore they can be made at little expense. It is not necessary to use a solid plate. In case copper is used, for instance, a coating of copper is sufficient. It is not necessary after taking the plate from the bath to polish or burnish it.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process of making printing-surfaces which consists in forming on the surface of the plate a picture or design of suitable material and building up the surface of said plate around said picture or design by electrolytic action until an intaglio printing-plate is produced, substantially as described.

2. The process of making printing-surfaces which consists in forming a picture or design on suitable material, transferring said design to the surface of a suitable plate, and building up the surface of said plate around said design by electrolytic action to produce an intaglio printing-plate, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at the city of Norwich, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, this 21st day of April, 1908.

OZIAS DODGE. In presence of W. A. BRISOAN, J OHN HUNTINGTON. 

